Category Archives: cancer

The process of caramel coloring in soft drinks particularly the cola produces a carcinogen that is claimed to increase the risk of cancer to above the accepted threshold. According to studies, there is at least one extra cancer case in every 100,000 people that are consuming the beverage.

Consumer Reports conducted various laboratory tests on different types of soft drinks that Americans consume and they found out that drinking one can of cola a day is enough to expose an individual to higher cancer risks. The chemical responsible for this risk is called 4-MEI which is short for methylimidazole.

This chemical is formed during the manufacture of the caramel coloring that is added to cola and many other drinks. This is not necessary but is added for the purpose of aesthetics.

A law has been implemented in California that all beverages must carry warning labels if they contain excessive amount of 4-MEI to warn consumers of the cancer risk. An exposure to at least 29 mcg of the carcinogen every day is enough to pose great danger for anyone.

It’s not just big amounts of sugar that people should be worried about when drinking a can of cola. Consumers are now exposed to unnecessary cancer risk from an ingredient that is mixed with the beverage just for aesthetics. This is a great threat to the public as people may be drinking their favorite cola unaware of the grave danger that it raises to their health.

Over half of the American population, ages range from 6 to 64, consumes enough amount of soda each day to be exposed to cancer. Consumer Reports even believe that the limit is still too high for the average consumer. Their most recent report even concluded that a rise in the cases of cancer in the country (between 76 and 5,000) is expected in the coming years because of this exposure.

If people continue to consume cola and other beverages that contain 4-MEI, it is predictable that they elevate themselves to a greater risk of cancer over the course of their lifetime. The government should take steps to protect the health of the public. California is just one of the few government bodies that has already took action by setting a threshold for prompting warnings on food and drinks that contain the carcinogen.

When a woman reads something about oral contraception and the big ‘C’, she gets alarmed and maybe even frightened. Truth is, when it comes to these two things the news is fairly relieving. First of all, proper intake of the pill can protect you from the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer. However, recent researches show that it can increase your risk of developing breast cancer whilst other studies say it’s a hoax. Now, you are confused and you start to ask which is really which?

To further your anxiety, recent news has been showing that birth control pills are linked to brain cancer. This leaves you, and plenty other women, panicky! The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has conducted a study on the incidence of brain cancer called glioma among a group of young women in Denmark. They were eager to find out if the hormones in the pill had a direct effect on glioma and they poured through all the resources that they can find. They looked into the cases of all Danish women from ages 15 to 49 who were diagnosed with glioma and checked if they were taking birth control pills.

They made a record of which type of birth control pills the women were taking and for how long they were taking it. They also compared them to a group of women of the same age range who do not have glioma. The final results show that women who took the pill have 50 percent higher risk of incurring glioma as compared to those who do not. Moreover, the risk is even higher for those who are taking progestin-only pills for a minimum period of 5 years.

Progestin-only Pills Cause Glioma

The people who conducted the research do not guarantee that the progestin-only kind is the responsible factor in the link. To be clear, the study only showed correlation and not causation. What’s clear is that the risk is higher in women who are pill takers. Glioma is a very rare health condition, there are about 5 women who develop it out of a 100,000. In a nut shell, the study does not suggest that you get rid of your pill pack just because of its results. There is no direct relation between the pill’s hormones and glioma risk. Generally, the benefits of hormonal contraception still outweigh its risks. Consult your doctor for more information.